


The Boys

by violetnewsteads



Category: 9 to 5 (1980), 9 to 5 the Musical - Parton/Resnick
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 23:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18509344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetnewsteads/pseuds/violetnewsteads
Summary: Judy cleared her throat, itching to ask a question. “Have you told them yet?”“Told who what?”“The boys.”





	The Boys

“After you,” Violet held the door out for Judy. She smiled as the other stepped into the restaurant, their usual Italian place.

 

“Ah, Miss Newstead, Miss Bernly, good evening! The usual?”

 

“Good evening, Jen! Yes, please thank you.”

 

It’s been how many months since they first started going here. Six? Seven? Seven sounds right. It’s been seven months since Violet took the chance to hold Judy’s hand and kiss her good night. But who’s keeping count?

 

Judy, definitely.

 

“Can you believe it’s been seven months already?” she said as she primly sat down. “Time flies when you’re having fun, I suppose.”

 

Violet opened the menu. “So you are having fun with me?”

 

“Oh come on, Violet. I-“

 

“I’m kidding, Judes,” she smirked. Judy may be the most gullible person on this planet, but Violet wouldn’t have it any other way. Judy gave her a playful frown, but quickly changed into a suppressed giggle.

 

They both flipped through the menu, as if they don’t already know what to order.

 

Judy cleared her throat, itching to ask a question. “Have you told them yet?”

 

“Told who what?”

 

“The boys.”

 

Violet slowly put down the menu, closed it, and set it aside. “Why are you so keen on me telling them?”

 

Before Judy can answer back, Violet held up her hand. “But if you must know, I did.”

 

Judy’s eyes visibly grew wider. She instantly grew nervous, wringing her wrists. “And what did they say?”

 

—

 

It was 8:30 p.m., on the dot no less, when Violet pulled out the key to her townhouse and unlocked the door. “I’m glad they remembered to lock it this time,” she muttered to herself.

 

“Boys,” she called out. “I’m home!”

 

She smiled a weary, but happy smile when she heard the scuttling of feet. “Mom!”

 

Her six and eight year old sons, Matthew and Harris, ran out their playroom to hug their mother. She’s glad to still have a connection with them, even though she’s only ever home at night and a few hours shy until bedtime.

 

“How was your day, boys?” She knelt to give them kisses and ruffles on the hair.

 

They both started to speak at the same time, and Violet only catching “slides” and “blocks” from them. She was too tired to stop and tell them “One at a time” as she usually would. She can only spare an enthusiastic nod and a “That sounds fun!” before plopping on the couch. The two boys ran back to the playroom after hearing a toy sound off.

 

“Hey mom,” her second eldest, Alex, came down from the stairs. He was thirteen, and a the most reserved of the four. “I got my Algebra test back today, I got a B but barely.”

 

Violet reached out to hold his hand, still lying on the couch. “Oh, that’s great, honey, I’m so proud of you. Wasn’t that the test you’ve been studying hard for?”

 

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Can you sign it later? Oh also, we ate already—Matthew and Harris were getting grumpy.”

 

“No, that’s good, sweetie, you didn’t have to wait up for me. Is Josh upstairs?”

 

“Yeah, he’s in his room.”

 

Violet just nodded. “Okay, good. Have you boys done your homework?”

 

Alex was already on his way back upstairs. “Yeah, mom, doing it.”

 

God, was she thankful she only had two little ones left, and Josh was old enough to look after his brothers. Not like Richard was any help when he was alive, anyway. Fucking Richard.

 

Violet’s been singlehandedly managing her boys for the past fifteen years. How she did that and work her nine to five job, she’ll never know. Now she gets home a little later after getting promoted to Vice President, and sometimes even a little more after she and Judy got together. She’s just thankful she loves her job, her boys, and Judy—or else she would have passed out from exhaustion years ago.

 

Speaking of Judy, she’s been insistent on meeting her boys not just as Aunt Judy, but as someone who can help Violet in taking care of her family. “A co-parent,” as she describes it. Violet hasn’t acted on it, mostly because she hasn’t come out to her sons.

 

She raised them not to be judgmental of others, of course. Over the years, they’ve had dinners with the Murphy’s, a same-sex couple down the street, sometimes even asking to them to babysit. So no, she’s not scared that her sons would be discriminative. She scared of the dynamic shift.

 

For years, nothing has changed. Violet takes care of the boys. Violet goes to work. Richard goes to work. They both go home, have dinner, watch a show, go to sleep. Some weekends, the boys have baseball games or play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Until Richard died.

 

That was the first dynamic shift.

 

The Newstead’s had to rework another routine. Josh had to take care of his brothers since they couldn’t afford to have a babysitter everyday. Violet worked overtime to cover the expenses from the hospital and funeral. Harris only started walking. God bless the Murphy’s who offered to babysit for free.

 

It was only in the last couple of years Violet was secure enough not to work overtime, now that Josh has a job to help pay for college. Soon enough, he’ll move out and there’ll only be three mouths left to feed.

 

Now with Judy, she fears the impending second dynamic shift.

 

Violet’s thoughts were interrupted with Josh calling her. “Mom? Are you sleeping?”

 

“Huh? Oh, no, just thinking. I might fall asleep if I lay down much longer. Help me up, honey,” she stretched out her arm for Josh to pull. “Thank you. So how was your day?”

 

“Fine. Work was crazy, there was a busted car that came in and we’re only halfway done repairing the turbine.” He sat down on the lazyboy next to the couch. “So mom, what about you?”

 

“Same old. Meetings and papers to sign.”

 

“And Aunt Judy?”

 

Violet was surprised he would ask without prior mention. Judy has met the boys, but only for a few times. She spent Thanksgiving with them and visited during New Year’s, and dropped by a few times to babysit but that’s it. She tried her best to look unfazed by the sudden mention. “What about Aunt Judy?”

 

“Took her out tonight?”

 

“What?”

 

“Mom, c’mon. I know you and Aunt Judy are a thing. It’s not hard to miss.”

 

Violet sank back into the couch. Guess there’s no point trying to hide it now. “A-are you okay with it?” She quietly groaned. Silence.

 

“I’m not against it. At all. Actually, I think it’s cool, mom. I did tell you to start dating again, right? Didn’t think you would do it, let alone then go for a girl, though.”

 

He paused to check if Violet’s still listening. She’s been still as a rock. “And honestly, we love Aunt Judy. Especially Matthew and Harris. She’s good to us, and she makes a killer lasagna.”

 

He leaned over to check on her again. He. noticed tear drops on her collar. “Mom? Are you crying? Are you okay?” He quickly sat beside her and pulled her into a hug.

 

Violet clung onto him. “God, I promised I wouldn’t do this in front of any of you.”

 

“At least I know you’re not a cyborg or anything.”

 

She laughed wetly. “I didn’t think...I didn’t think I’d have to come out...ever. Don’t get me wrong, I loved your dad. But I didn’t-“ she choked out.

 

“You taught us not to care about who likes who, right?”

 

She nodded. Raised ‘em right, I did, she thought. She opened her eyes after a while and saw two little heads popping out of the door frame, and a pair of feet on top of the staircase. “Boys, I can see you. C’mere.”

 

The three raced to hug their mother, who was for once not the bionic superwoman they knew her to be. They wrapped their arms around her; Violet couldn’t breathe but she doesn’t care.

 

“Does that mean Aunt Judy can come over more?”

 

Violet laughed.

 

—

 

“Then they heated up leftovers for me and resumed whatever it was they were doing. Pretty sure Harris asked Matthew if he was going to have two moms,” Violet finished, sipping on her water.

 

If it not for the public setting, Judy would be red and puffy with no control of her tears. Her eyes were watery, dabbing at them every second. “They really said that?”

 

“Yeah,” Violet smiled shyly. “I’ve never felt lighter.”

 

“You raised them well, Vi. You really did.”

 

“I try, I really try.”

 

“And it shows.”

 

Violet pulled something out of her purse. “And so as a gift for seven months,” she held out a little cloth pouch.

 

“Violet Newstead, you really didn’t have to,” Judy said, taking the pouch and wiping another set of fresh tears. She gingerly untied the ribbon. “A key?”

 

“To the house. So you can drop by anytime or if the kids call.”

 

Judy held to to her chest. “Vi, I don’t know what to say.”

 

“Thank you?”

 

“You know what I mean. But yes, thank you.” She looked at Violet and broke out into the widest smile. “God, I love you.”

 

“Love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I used the movie version of Violet’s family with four boys instead of one from the musical. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! :-)


End file.
